Boss goes to surgery

Boss’s owner, through tears, agreed to relinquish ownership. She could not find any other financial avenues to continue to provide care and, unfortunately, the reality of owning and caring for Boss became all to evident.

As soon as I had time, we anesthetized Boss again and prepped for the pinning I wished to do. Dissecting down to the hip I found significant muscle damage, much more than I expected. Finding the fracture end was easy but I was now able to see the true damage to the femoral head. I found a growth plate fracture but a large section of the femoral head luxated from the pelvis with the rest of the femur. This type of fracture was not evident on initial x-ray and complicated the entire surgery.

I spent 2 hours attempting to place “trangular” pins and feel comfortable that that fixation would hold for healing. After multiple attempts, I finally decided that setting pins was not going work; the damage was too extensive. I proceeded with a salvage procedure called an FHO. This removes the entire femoral head and neck, eliminating pain but reducing the function of the hip joint. The final result of an FHO is the formation of a fibrous false joint, which has an unpredictable result. Small dogs can do quite well with an FHO due to limited weight on the area; large breed dogs, however, have more loss of function and potential debilitation. We can only wait to see how big Boss will get and how he can handle the situation. This procedure was not ideal, but should at the least make him more comfortable in the short term.

Boss is recovering well from the procedure and is even starting to get around on the surgical leg and feeling very well. I continue to be amazed how quickly most dogs and cats recover from these procedures. Today is a good day. Tommorrow is uncertain for Boss, but hopes are high and we will know soon enough how good his leg will be.

If all goes well, I hope to find Boss a new home soon.

Cold Weather Tips

Christmas time is near and the clinic is slowing.  More and more people are starting to concentrate on festivities and less on preventative care. This doesn’t mean we don’t see the ill and emergent cases, but the annual wellness exams and other general preventative care does slow till after the new year. Our boarding of course picks up significantly.  We will be full till mid January and I have a little more time to play with these dogs and cats, instead of poking them with needles.  It’s my little gift for the holiday.

Several clients have been asking about the cold weather and how our pets handle it and when is it too cold for them.  These are a few winter rules to live by:

• Avoid paw exposure to ice melt – most can be toxic if ingested and caustic to even tough pads. If you do have some exposure, simply wash those paws to remove the material.
• Grooming. Now I don’t advise too much clipping of the coat in winter, but you should continue to keep the longer coats goomed and brushed. Consider clipping long hair on the bottom webbing of the paws to keep ice and snow from accumulating.
• Small and Toy breeds as well as short coated dogs should consider jackets and even boots to avoid too much exposure.
• Frostbite can occur within minutes in subzero temps to exposed skin especially ears, toes, and scrotum so avoid long exposure outside for those pets more prone (thinner coats, prick ears, etc.)
• Shelter. For those dogs that stay predominately outside, they need shelter from the cold, which in my opinion, would be more than just a simply dog house.  I would want something well insulated or have some heat source (heat lamp, etc) to protect the pet and keep water bowls from freezing.

Every pet will of course have different needs, but common sense should prevail in protecting those four legged family members. I hope everyone has a great holiday.